Page 19 of The Ground Beneath Our Feet
“No. You’re not. I think you’re shy, and that’s fine. But I don’t see how someone like you—a lawyer—is all meek. I think you’ve got some spitfire to you, you’ve just suppressed it for so long.”
“What are you, my therapist?” She clapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide.
I grinned. “You see? I knew it. I knew you had it in you.”
“I don’t want to be rude.”
“You’re not. You’re being honest. Honesty is a relief. It’s the lies that separate us. Just call it like it is.”
“What separates us from the animals is Lysol.”
I burst out laughing. “Okay. You want me to clean it up. I will. Simple. You just have to ask for what you want. You don’t have to take on everything.”
She rolled her eyes, which delighted me.Finally, a reaction. “I don’t need a lecture,” she muttered.
“Atta girl. And you don’t need to control people by being so passive-aggressive either. You can just do what you want.”
She looked down at the ground, then back up at me. “Don’t call me passive-aggressive.”
“You’re not?”
She paused and gave me a half-smile. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good. We good here?”
She nodded. “I’ve never met anyone like you. I’m not totally sure what I’m doing.”
“What you’re doing is being honest. I can take it. I can take all that shit.”
“I’m not sure if I can give you back that sh-stuff, though.”
I took a step back from her. “You don’t swear?”
She shook her head.
“What kind of lawyer doesn’t swear?”
“Me.”
“Want lessons? Since I’m a vet, we deal in shit.”
She giggled. “I’ve never been able to say sh-shit.”
I held out my palm. “High five!” She hit my hand with hers. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Anything else you need to get off your chest?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m on a diet. So I have to record everything I eat in my app. And it’s a pain. And I don’t know how many calories all these things are.”
“Have you ever thought about just eating when you’re hungry and not eating when you’re not hungry?”
“But how would I ever lose weight?”
“You don’t need to lose weight.”
“I do. My doctor told me I do. I’m going to find a gym and join.”
“I don’t want to contradict your doctor, but your body is perfect as is. Your earthsuit? It’s awesome. Just live in it.”
I knew she didn’t believe me. “If you’re gonna do the dishes, I’m tired from the move. I’m going to get organized and get ready for bed.”
